Bates College

The Puddle Jump is a radically democratic winter ritual that involves jumping into a frigid body of water at the center of campus, often wearing a costume. Everyone is equally giddy, equally cold, equally uncertain of what will happen when they jump. But they jump. And then they climb out and huddle together under blankets and drink hot cocoa. There are no divisions, no cliques. There are just a bunch of cold, wet people drinking cocoa by a hole in a frozen pond. And they are all Bates.